Event Digitization: What It Is, Current Prospects, And Outlook For The Future
The internet is a lot of things – especially as it gives way and rise to a host of other industries and niches.
One of the concepts that has come about due to the age of the internet is digitization, and that is not lost on the event management industry either. In fact, it has been the underlying bedrock for some of the defining trends to have shaped this industry – and which will continue to make major impact into how its affairs are run.
What Is Digitization?
In simple words, digitization refers to the introduction and leveraging of new forms of technology by an industry, brand, company or other bodies. Besides keeping up with the trends and staying within the range of standard, digitization also contributes immensely to the improvement of workflow while cutting costs at the same time.
With every passing day, event planners and organizers are putting in new digital measures to ensure the success of their events. The best part of it all is that these moves are not only fancied by the event organizers themselves, but appreciated by the event attendees too.
That creates a situation of need meets fulfilment, even if the target audience didn’t know they had such needs in the first place.
How Digital Is the Events Industry?
Almost every and all aspects of events have found a digital alternative to how things were being done. Traditional models are either being phased out or optimized into digital models to fit into the dynamism of the entire industry.
Some of the areas worthy of note are:
1)Ticket Management
Ticket sales create quite the bit of hassle on its own.
First, choosing the channel through which to sell tickets and account for the number of sales correctly can create concern. Likewise, registering attendees at the event and ensuring no one with a ticket is kept outside or vice versa becomes yet another ceremony of its own.
Facial recognition helps to keep all that away due to the uniqueness of the human profile which it brings to event management.
Admission into events is faster and more reliable since facial data is one to be trusted. On top of that, it becomes possible to identify each and everyone in the crowd at any given point in time. Perhaps the biggest win for facial recognition is the kind of security that it fosters, seeing as facial data can quickly be used to identify and remove threats before they materialize at all.
2)Advertisement
Remember when we used to go through traditional models of advertisement (fliers, billboard and posters)? While they still work, they can never have the same kind of reach event organizers are looking for.
This is what social media steps in to address.
There are diverse subsets of people on social media. Of the billions who have found abode there, though, you will usually find out that your target audience is somewhere around the corner.
With the right message and content, they can always be reached. The best part is that social media promises a great ROI for event managers, so there is no reason not to try it at all.
3)Event Proceedings
Gone are the days of physical program outlines.
These days, about the first thing that happens when a major event is going up is the development of a dedicated website. This website serves as the hub of resources for such programs. Thus, everything from the location and date to the order of events will most likely be found here.
Stepping that forward, savvy organizers have gone the way of event apps instead. Easily downloaded and installed, they provide the perfect companion for many events. From floor plans, exhibition booth layout to personalization (seat numbers, reminders for fav speakers, etc.), the attendee is treated to a great time.
For event organizers and sponsors, this is also a great way to get their ads and products out there. At the same time, it allows for a flexibility that paper doesn’t – the opportunity to change program outline as seen fit.
4) Audience Engagement
The audience should always be made to feel like they are a part of the entire event from start to finish. That ensures they are always keen on what’s coming next, never miss the main takeaways and leave with a positive brand image at heart.
Digitization makes that even easier to achieve than before.
Got questions? No need to write them in a piece of paper to be passed to the speaker. These questions can be posted on social media with the right hashtag or handle mentioned, and the handler will get them through to the speaker.
Want to join in the online conversion? The hashtags are there – and they help you network with others at the event in the same vein.
All that, and we have not mentioned the impact of virtual and augmented reality, among others, in transforming the user experience immensely.
The Future of Digitisation in the Events Industry
While the past couple of years have started the upward swing towards digitization in the industry, there is more to come. Many of the technology being applied in the industry, as of now, are still in the emerging stage. With the turn of the decade, they are sure to mature, and we will have even more of these to look at.
When that happens, the event planning and management industry will get the kind of facelift that we have been looking towards.